1. General

1.1. Extent of validity

The member's relationship with Ciao Surveys GmbH is governed exclusively by the currently applicable version of the Terms and Conditions. Should these Terms and Conditions be altered or adapted to changes in the law, the member will be notified by e-mail. If the member continues to use Ciao's services after we have notified him/her of changes to the Terms and Conditions, it means that the member accepts the modified Terms.

1.2. Extent of service

Ciao Surveys GmbH offers its registered members the chance to take part in online market research surveys. The members receive a specialised invitation to each survey, in which the conditions of participation in it are described. For each survey, each member chooses freely whether (s)he wishes to participate.

1.3. Eligibility to participate

Every physical person aged 14 and older may become a Ciao member, provided that (s)he agrees to these terms and conditions in their entirety.

1.4. Access, password, user data

Every registered member may only register once and must him/herself ensure the confidential handling of his/her username and password. (S)He is responsible not only for his/her own use of his/her username and password, but also for that of third parties. The member will notify Ciao of any unauthorised use of Ciao's services under his/her username and password without delay.

1.5. Data protection, email advertising

The protection of your personal information is of extreme importance to us. Ciao uses all means in its power to ensure online data protection. Before agreeing to these Terms, please read our Data Protection Statement to understand how your personal information is handled if you take advantage of our internet services.

1.6. Right of cancellation

Ciao reserves the right to cancel a member's Ciao account and deny him/her use of to Ciao's services, should this member breach these Terms and Conditions, particularly by setting up multiple accounts or giving nonsense answers in surveys, or by breaking the law. Ciao will further suspend or terminate your account if it is apparent that you have not acted in good faith when participating in online surveys, or the "invite friends" program. Use of automated entry devices or programs is prohibited. In so doing, the member forfeits his/her right to have any monies earned from surveys paid out to him/her. Ciao reserves the right to make further claims.

2. Participation in surveys

2.1. The number of survey invitations which a particular member receives depends on the user profile which (s)he completes. The member has no right to a minimum number of survey invitations. Ciao will, however, strive to invite all members in an equitable manner.

2.2. The member commits him/herself to giving reasonable answers in all surveys, specifically by refraining from giving any obviously nonsensical or unusable answers (random combinations of letters, etc).

2.3. Confidentiality

By becoming a Ciao member, you agree that you will hold in strict confidence and not disclose to any other parties information learned in connection with any survey, project, questionnaire or other market research activity related to Ciao. You agree you will use the information contained in any survey, project or questionnaire strictly for the purpose of discussing and providing market research-related data. You shall notify Ciao should you discover any loss or unauthorized disclosure of the information.

3. Incentives

3.1. Right to incentives

The member receives an "incentive" or reward for participating in surveys run by Ciao, provided that this is stated in the survey invitation. This incentive may take the form of a sum of money, a payment in kind, the chance to participate in a prizedraw or some such similar recompense and will be communicated in the invitation email before the start of each survey.
The member only has a right to receive an incentive if (s)he has completed the survey in its entirety. Should the user not belong to the relevant target group, the survey will finish automatically after the first few introductory questions. In this case, the member will not, generally, receive an incentive.
Should the user have made obviously nonsensical or unuseable answers to questions in the survey, his right to an incentive may be denied.

3.2. Payout of incentives earned

The user may request a payout of the incentives which (s)he has earned at any time, provided that:

3.2.1. (s)he has reached the minimum amount specified in the currently applicable version of the Payment Conditions

3.2.2. (s)he is still a Ciao member at the time at which the payment is requested

3.2.3. the user has the appropriate type of account to receive a monetary payment (see Payment Conditions).

Payouts into members' bank accounts general take place once a month.

4. Termination of Ciao membership

4.1. The member may terminate his/her Ciao membership at any time. After ending his/her membership, the member forfeits his right to a payout or his/her survey incentives. The user should, thus, ensure that (s)he requests his/her final payment at the very latest, at the same time as (s)he cancels his/her membership. A payment of a sum less than the minimum allowable amount cannot, even in the case of a membership cancellation, be made.

4.2. The member must ensure that (s)he logs in to his/her member account at least once every six months. If a member does not log in or take part in a survey over the course of a six month period, despite being sent survey invitations, it will be assumed that this member is no longer active. Due to high administrative costs, the member's account will, in this case, be set back to zero.

5. Final clause

Should any provision of the Terms and Conditions in whole or in part, be determined to be invalid, unenforceable or void for any reason, such provisions shall be severed and the remainder of the Terms and Conditions shall continue to have full force and effect. The invalid provision shall be replaced by a provision which replicates its legal and commercial meaning as closely as possible.